


I'm Not (Just) Gay I'm Terrified

by leowritestuff



Series: On Gender and Sexuality [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Azula Actually Cares About Zuko In This One, Bisexual Male Character, Bisexual Zuko (Avatar), F/M, Gay Male Character, Gay Zuko (Avatar), Homophobia, If You Squint - Freeform, Implied Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar) - Freeform, Lesbian Azula (Avatar), Lesbian Character, Multi, Past Relationship(s), Past Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), but ill leave this up to interpretation, great job azula, i hc zuko as gay and he doesnt love mai, indirectly insulting mai to her face, look and see if you can see what i hc the others as because its likely not straight, not romantically anyways, though im not sure how noticable it is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-24 11:53:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13213185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leowritestuff/pseuds/leowritestuff
Summary: Ty Lee decided it would be fun to talk about there first dates. Zuko accidentally says he. This leads to a discovery.-"Do you like guys, Zuko?" Mai asks, staring intently.





	I'm Not (Just) Gay I'm Terrified

**Author's Note:**

> Wow those are a lot of tags.
> 
> Important Pre-Warning  
> Zuko dated Sokka back in Ba Sing Se somehow and the Jin/Zuko date never happened. I kinda wrote this in the same timeline as another fic of mine that's not published yet and actually multi-chapter, but you (hopefully) don't have to read to still understand what's going on. Its mostly cannon-compliant. 
> 
> I also inadvertently made Ty Lee a bit of a jerk, do to her growing up in a homophobic society and being taught that herself. 
> 
> I feel like there's a lot of subtle things people are just going to look right over. 
> 
> How is it that Katara and Aang, characters I've actually spent time studying, harder to write then Ozai's Angels, who I barely think about at all?

"Who was your first date?" Ty Lee asks and everyone else groans.

"Really Ty Lee?" Mai asks with her usual monotone, relaxing in Zuko's arms.

"Well, I've never been on one." Azula says in a way that's self righteous, as if dates where stupid and trivial, even things for children. "Why would I waist my time with something so pointless when I could be helping with the war effort?" Azula tucks her legs closer into herself, sitting comfortably on the red carpet in her room.

"I've never been on one either!" Ty Lee says cheerfully. Zuko sends her a look, completely confused. Its unknown whether or not Ty Lee gets the message, but she explains anyways.

"Well sure, theres always all these nice guys and everything, but I've never found a guy I've truly liked yet." Ty Lee pauses before adding,"But I'm sure one day I will!"

"Oh sure, and get married and have kids. How fun." Mai rolls her eyes. "Anyways," she sighs. "My first date was Zuko."

Azula scoffs. "Big suprise."

"Hey Zuko! What about you!" Ty Lee asks him, as bubbly as ever.

Zuko responds by scowling.

"Oh please, it was probably Mai. Who else would like my brother?" Azula says with an edge of a condesenting laugh.

Mai's eyebrows twitch.

"I've been on a date before Mai!" Zuko yells, defending himself before suddenly wishing he hadn't.

Yes, Zuko has been on a date before Mai, and dated someone before Mai. Someone he really, really liked. Someone who probably hates him now. Someone he should have never liked in the first place.

Azula scoffs again. "Oh please? With who? You're not exactly the most captivating guy around."

Mai's eyebrow twitches again.

"I think Zuko's a great guy!" Ty Lee defends him, and Zuko's mouth threatens to turn up in a smile for a second.

"Despites all his... anger issues." Ty Lee adds with a bit of hesitation. Zuko's scowl deepens but he doesn't say anything.

Mai nods,"He is," with a kiss to his cheek.

"Can we stop talking about me like I'm not here?" Zuko grounds out.

Azula raises her hand to her chest with a fake frown. "Oh I'm so sorry you feel-" She smirks "-like you don't belong."

 _You don't belong_ Zuko chooses not to respond to Azula's words, but with a glance around the room, even with Mai pulled tight to his side, he feels like it's true. He holds onto Mai all the tighter.

"Still, which girl was foolish enough to go on a date with you?" Azula smirks.

The corners of Mai's lips turn down just the slightest.

"She's not foolish!" Zuko leeps to his feet, loosening his grip on Mai. Mai frowns.

Sokka, though not a girl, was certainly not foolish. He was ridiculously smart, and really, incredibly creative. He was the furtherst from foolish and Zuko wished people could see that. Unfortunately, this wasn't something he could prove. Not here.

"What was she like?" Ty Lee asks, resting her elbows on her knees and her face on her hands.

"Really smart." Zuko says with a bit of a sigh, thinking back.

"Oh really?" Azula asks smugly. "Was she as smart as me?"

"No one's as smart as you, Azula." Mai says in her usual monotone, arms crossed. Her gaze flickers to Zuko.

Zuko refuses to answer Azula's question, or atleast directly. "In a different way. She's really creative. She would come up with these crazy ideas that seamed so stupid and ridiculous that there's no possible way they could work. But they did. Somehow, he found a way to make it work."

"It really seems like you love her." Ty Lee pointed out, though the statement doubled as a question. Mai looked at the floor.

"And I'm sure her plans worked everytime, didn't they?" Azula asked with a smirk, completely by-passing Ty Lee.

"No bodies perfect, Azula. Except for you." Zuko said in disgust.

"Oh trust me, I already knew that." Azula smirked.

"He?" asked Mai.

Everyone turned to her, confused.

"What?" Zuko managed to say.

"You said he." Mai pointed out. As Zuko didn't seem any less confused, she sighed, before quoting. ""Somehow, _he_ found a way to make it work?" You don't remember saying that?"

"What!" Zuko yelled after a slight hesitation. "I never said that! And even if I did, it was just a slip!" Zuko bawled his hands into fist. "I don't like guys!" -a lie- "Anyways, its illegal!"

"Not in the Earth Kingdom." Azula stated with a blank face, suprising everyone. She talked again with a calculating tone. "In the Earth Kingdom it would be legal, which means you could prance around with your little boyfriend, out in the open, with no trouble at all." Those who paid close enough attention would notice the slight sadness to Azula's voice, and her brief glance at Ty Lee.

"There would be Uncle of course, who could stop you. Though I'm sure the criminal wouldn't even care." Azula says, matter of factly.

After a moment's pause, Azula adds. "Unlike Father."

An unsteady silence falls over the room, everyone looking at Zuko, who doesn't know what to say. Finally, a voice breaks the silence.

"Do you like guys, Zuko?" Mai asks, staring intently. A heart beat later, she adds, though softer. "Do you like me?"

"I-" Zuko starts to speak, not knowing what to say.

Ty Lee's nervous laughter cuts him off. Zuko grinds down on his teeth.

"Guys, come on, stop being so serious! I'm sure Zuko's not like that!" Ty Lee laughs, smiling. She falters, looking at Zuko. "Right?"

This time its Azula who breaks the silence. She speaks slow, and steady, though unmovable, like an earthbender. "I won't tell Father."

She adds a second later, as if to cover herself up. "At least," Azula smirks,"Not anytime soon."

"Do you, Zuko?" Mai repeats. "Do you like guys?"

Zuko looked inbetween everyone's gazes, his heart racing. He was tempted to just run out the door and slam it in everybodies faces, but much to his dismay that would be to suspicious. He crosses his arms and growls, plopping down onto the floor. He hangs his head.

Its enough to give Azula an answer.

"Well. Do you?" Mai repeats yet again, raising her voice slightly.

"Enough with the melodrama already, seriously." Azula rolls her eyes. "So what if my idiotic brother likes guys, there's nothing he can do about it here."

Zuko looks at Azula confused. Mai's face hardens.

Azuka rolls her eyes again. "Anyways, Mai, relax. ZuZu is dating you, after all."

"Don't call me that!"

Mai looks at Azula suspiciously, before letting out a sigh. "You're probably right."

Ty Lee relaxs as well, laughing. "Yeah, I told you guys Zuko's not like that. Zuko's not that bad, come on."

Both Zuko and Azula clench there teeth. Azula forces a smile.

"Well I'm parched." Azula says. "Lets go to the kitchen and get some tea."

"That sounds like a great idea!" Ty Lee beams, before cartwheeling to the door of Azula's room, springing up once she reaches it.

"Tea. Hooray." Mai sighs, slowly walking over to the door. She turns to Zuko. "Are you coming?"

Zuko grumbles but gets up, Azula following after. Ty Lee and Mai go through the door, and Zuko is about to go after as well, before Azula catches his arm with a hissed,"Wait."

Zuko turns around, sighing, to see Azula standing, staring. Azula wears an expression that Zuko swears he's never seen before, at least not sense they where kids and Father would get angry. He rubs his eyes to make sure he's seeing this right.

"You're not dreaming, dum dum." Azula teases, her expression flickering on something recognizable, before going back.

Zuko can't believe this, it feels like a dream. Azula's standing there. She looks open, vulnerable even. But most of all, Azula looks... terrified. Zuko can hardly believe his eyes.

"I like girls." Azula breaths out, before switching modes not even a split-second after that it takes a while for Zuko to process.

"Now come on, loser, I'm sure the others are waiting for us." and Azula walks out, leaving Zuko to stand there.

He can't believe this.

**Author's Note:**

> This doesn't directly tie into the world of "Of Gender and Sexuality", but I feel like fits pretty well with the rest of them so I'm just going to go ahead and put it there.


End file.
